


Double-Edged Blades

by slotumn



Series: Wherever the Wind May Take Us [21]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Claude Has Some Issues and Lysithea Sympathizes, F/M, Family Issues, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Names, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Vulnerability, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23247355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slotumn/pseuds/slotumn
Summary: "Did you ever tell your Almyran name to anyone, back in Fódlan?"He shook his head."It was best to hide it, even from the people I trusted, until all the threats were clear. I didn't want my other name to be used against me, too."A.K.A. Hey guys can the alternative name for this ship be Khalisithea now
Relationships: Lysithea von Ordelia/Claude von Riegan
Series: Wherever the Wind May Take Us [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593274
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Double-Edged Blades

"Claude."

"Hm?"

"Should I start calling you Khalid?"

He began coughing and choking on his pine tea, nearly falling over sideways onto the carpeted floor of the royal Almyran vacation home. She reached out and gave him multiple hard thumps on the back to help.

"Okay, okay, you can stop now, I'm alright," he said, clearing his throat.

"The tea was really hot, and you could have burned your throat-- you should really be more careful," she said, leaning in close, "Khalid."

The coughing (and blushing) started again, and her face ended up being sprayed with spit. He quickly took a napkin and wiped her face before she could say something about it.

"Sorry about that, you-- you caught me off guard for a moment."

"Saints, you reacted like you saw a ghost...it's your own name, you know."

"It is," he said, almost disguising the shake in his voice as laughter. "I just...never thought that I'd get to hear you say it, that's all."

"...That makes no sense. You're the one who told me first, remember? Why would you not expect me to say it?"

"It's because I've gotten too used to hearing you say "Claude!!" with that cute voice of yours whenever I teased you," he replied, with an attempt at his usual playful wink.

Her response wasn't the usual flustered annoyance, however, but rather a slight concerned frown and a gentle hand to the side of his face. 

"I'm being serious, Khalid, so I'd appreciate it if you also did the same," she said, in an unusually soft, edgeless voice. "There's no need to answer if you don't want, but if you do-- don't try to shield me from the harsh parts like I'm some child."

He sighed, then wrapped his arms around her before falling backwards into the soft floor cushion.

"...Truth is, I haven't heard anyone call me that in such a long time, and even when I was younger, the people I spent the bulk of my time with..." he paused, "...my siblings, technically...they didn't refer to me as such. So I suppose I eventually gave up hearing it from anyone else."

"You have siblings?"

"Half-siblings. Father took concubines as a way to appease people who disliked he'd taken a queen from Fódlan, and, well, we all know how those types of things go."

She reached up and stroked his hair as a wordless consolation. 

"And Claude was...actually a name that my mother said she always had in mind for her child. She used to call me that in private," he explained. "Somehow they found out and started calling me Claude, too, as a way to remind me that I didn't belong."

"...So those people are another reason why you decided to come here to meet your parents, instead of the palace."

"Yep. No need to fuel the family drama even further by having the gall to show up again so soon after abdicating, you know? Safa's already got his hands full," he said, waving a hand in the air. "Not that I doubt my favorite cousin's ability to kick ass and shut mouths with his gauntlets and general scariness, but still."

"Remind me to write a letter thanking him sometime," she giggled.

"Sure, just don't expect a reply. Not really a letter-writing type, that one."

They laid wordlessly for a while, listening to each other breathe. 

"...Claude," she began, then quickly corrected herself, "I mean, Khalid."

"Yes?"

"Did you ever tell your Almyran name to anyone, back in Fódlan?"

He shook his head. 

"It was best to hide it, even from the people I trusted, until all the threats were clear. I didn't want my other name to be used against me, too."

She gave him a tight hug for the upteenth time that day. 

"Keeping secrets is an awfully tiring thing to do," she whispered. "I'm glad neither of us have to do it now...Khalid."

"So am I, Lys, so am I," he replied, kissing her forehead. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, please consider checking out LysiClaude week twitter: twitter.com/lysiclaudeweek
> 
> So I actually had a headcanon that Claude's Almyran name would be something like Khaled or Kubilay, so good to see that I was half right!
> 
> Also despite his little wink wink nudge in Cindered Shadows about how "Claude" could be a fake name, I'd like to think that it's actually something his mother had in mind as his Fódlan name, even though she never expected him to use it-- or have anyone else use it against him. (The namesake, obviously, being Claudia von Riegan, who eloped just like Tiana did.)


End file.
